Now you see me, now you don't...

 "Hello? Hello??" 

As my love and I started communicating on the phone, this was a common phrase said often by one of us as we navigated reception issues, power outages, language & cultural differences, and finishing minutes (think TrackPhone days!). 

There were many times that I would ask a question and only understand 1 out of every 4 words that came back my way. 

Communication in beginning (and continuing!) a relationship is hard. Imagine only knowing every 4th word of what the other person was saying!

It was difficult. But we didn't give up. 

The differences motivated us to learn more and find different ways to communicate. 

"Let me text this one." 

"Let's try video. Nope, not enough reception. Send me a photo when you get better reception."

"Let me move locations." 

"Where can I learn more about that part of your culture?"

When I heard the now-familiar "beep, beep" of What's App trying to connect the call, the following verse in 1 Corinthians 13 started coming to mind:

"For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror, but then face to face" (verse 12a).

As I looked at Milton's reflection through those broken phone calls, I was able to get a small picture of who he was and what his country/upbringing was like. And then I came to him. I saw his full face. Held his hand. Met his family. Listened to stories of those who had gone before. Learned that "dirt" means "trash" and "Hello" is only for the afternoon. 

My whole world opened up. Things that never made sense before finally. Made. SENSE!

My understanding of Milton grew more in 8 weeks than in the 10 months of broken communication leading up to it. 

This is such a beautiful reality of heaven. 

Right now, we can only see a reflection of who God is in His Son, in His Word, and in His broken (yet graciously redeemed!) church. There are times that I look at God and things just don't make sense. Sometimes my sinful heart can't see past my anger. Sometimes my finite mind can't make sense of a specific theology or happening in the world. Sometimes I am simply tempted to cut off all communication. 

And then, I remember. 

This is only a reflection. 

I didn't give up on Milton. I found ways to communicate with him. My relationship with God is the same. Just because I don't understand why...(insert difficult understanding here)...doesn't mean I stop communicating with him. 

When I didn't understand something about Milton, I found ways to understand it better. When I don't understand something about God, I can do the same thing. 

"Let me text this one."  - "Let me read your Word about this one."

"Show me a picture." - "God, help me understand. Bring me someone who has walked a similar path."

"Let me move locations."  - "Let me go on a walk away from the distractions to see if I understand better."

"Where can I learn more about that part of your culture?" - "What theology or Biblical teaching might help me understand this better?"

As we seek to know and love God in this broken world, there will be difficult times. There will be times we don't understand and we cannot see how it could possibly work. But we continue to seek His face and trust that when we get to heaven, we will know. We will know fully. 

"Now I know in part, but then I will know fully, as I am fully known." (1 Corinthians 13:12b)

What a beautiful picture displayed in marriage. Before marriage, we only know in part, and then we are fully known. 

Here on earth, we only know the Lord in part, but in heaven we will know Him fully. 

As we look at the faint and dim reflection, may we remember the best is yet to come. <3 

14 days!

Dark paths, Dark coasters, and the Light of God's Word

 Have you even been on a dark roller coaster? 

The kind where you strap yourself into the car and entrust it with your life as you are led around curves, loops, and drops that you don't see coming? 

This is what life has felt like the last two years. Despite our best efforts, my life with Milton has been very unexpected and unpredictable. At one point in this season, I looked at the following month. I didn't know which country I would be living in, who I would be living with, how I was going to get money to live, or whether I would be married or unmarried, among other life questions. I considered how I "should" be scared and uncertain. 

It is in this season that the Lord has taught me the depth of truth in Psalm 119:105:

"Your word is a light onto my feet and a light onto my path."

When you are walking on a dark path, the only thing you can see is what the light is showing you. You can't see the next turn, the dark cliff to the side, the animal lurking in the dark. You can only see the next step. Even typing this is giving me the heebeejeebees. 

Yet, a dark roller coaster sounds thrilling and exciting?! How???

Both the dark path and the dark roller coaster are essentially the same...I don't know where I'm going. I don't know what to expect when I get there. I don't know what surprises are waiting for me. 

But here's the difference. The dark roller coaster is a controlled path that has been tested. So when we get into that roller coaster car and strap ourselves in, we feel safe. We can trust the process. Even though we don't know the details, we know we will be okay and even enjoy the ride!

The Lord has helped me see that in my life. He is the trusted roller coaster car. When I look around to all the unexpected turns, drops, and loops, I become overwhelmed and miss the excitement and joy of the journey. When I focus on Him and know that I am definitely safe in His car, I can fully enjoy every twist, turn, and loop knowing that "I know how the story ends." (Thank you, Shane and Shane!)

May the Word of the Lord and the truth about Him that the Word reveals continue to guide our every step. We serve the Sovereign Creator of the Universe who loves us and cares for us. He will hold us and keep us to the end. 

"And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ." ~Philippians 1:6

15 more days until this earthly union <3

Undefinite amount of days until our heavenly one <3

Life is a journey...

"[Life] is a journey, but even the journey itself is joyful when I'm doing it holding the hand of my Savior and trusting him all along the way." ~Joyful Journey podcast introduction

The quote above opens one of my favorite podcasts. It reminds me that life can be full of adventure and unexpected turns, BUT the companion of the journey makes the experience worth every step. 

The other day I woke up in a panic. 

The list of things to do felt insurmountable and I didn't know how I was going to complete all those tasks with a worn-out body exhausted from the heat. 

I felt the Lord gently guide my eyes upward to him. "Set your mind on things above, not on earthly things." ~Colossians 3:2

It is a verse that has come back to mind many times in the last few months. 

I am adjusting to a new culture, a new language, a new profession, a new life stage, a new environment, new people, and so many other changes! I am planning a wedding, preparing for a marriage, planning, learning, and praying. Sometimes my mind is drawn to fear. Fear of messing up. Fear of saying the wrong thing or doing the wrong thing. Fear of offending others unintentionally. Fear of not loving well. 

When those moments come, the Lord gently reminds me to look UP. 

When I "look up" (sometimes figuratively, sometimes literally), I see my beautiful Savior holding the hand of a little girl...me. "I am right here with you," he reminds me (Matthew 28:20). 

I have a Father who is the Creator of the World (Genesis 1:1). I have a Savior who has volunteered to cover me with His righteousness if I trust Him with my sin (2 Corinthians 5:21). I have a Holy Spirit who is interceding for me (Romans 8:26-27). I have nothing to fear (Isaiah 41:10). 

As we reach the final days of the beautiful season of engagement and approach the beginning days of a lovely season of marriage, I want to keep my eyes focused on the One who loved me first and the One who loves me best (1 John 4:7). 

16 days!

"Auntie, is that your real hair?"

 Language is such a powerful tool. 

I was recently contributing to a teacher workshop in a nearby village. I was practicing speaking Gio (the local language) with some of the children. 

One child asked, "Auntie, is that your real hair?" 

I explained that it was and continued to practice my Gio. 

"A go Kwiplay" (I am from America.)

The little girl looked at me in surprise. She thought I was Liberian!

I don't know much Gio. I know how to greet someone, say my name, ask how someone is doing, and tell where I am from. But even the little that I do know was enough to instantly create connection. 

The other day, my love and I were talking about the Tower of Babel. We realized that when the language scattered, so did cultures. God created divisions among people because of their wicked, evil hearts to use unity to accomplish their own goal. Pride is such a pervasive evil, even in our own hearts today!

We continue to see the fall-out from that day as we struggle to understand and truly love those with different background, languages, and mindsets. 

But as we move through life, we seek to fix the error of our forefathers long ago and seek to be united in faith for the sake of God's glory. May God continue to be glorified! 

The good news is...restoration is coming! And we look forward to that day!

"After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from EVERY NATION, from ALL TRIBES and PEOPLES and LANGUAGES, standing before the throne and before the Lamb." ~Revelation 7:9

I just want to help...

Last week we were riding on the motorbike to run some errands in a nearby town. I looked around and saw all the familiar sights...families cooking below simple roofs to find shelter and their one meal of rice for the day. Children walking miles with HUGE bundles of sticks on their heads and no shoes on their feet. People of all ages bathing and washing in the river, their only source of water. Little boys running around and building motorbikes because their parents couldn't afford the $100 to send them to school. 

I started to think about all the ways I could help fix Liberia's hardships. 

And then...I realized I was seeing the wrong thing. 

When I started mountain biking, my friend told me to "look at where you want to go." In biking, your bike will follow where you look. If you look at the turn ahead, you and your bike with navigate the turn with relative ease. If you look at the tree in fear, you will likely run yourself right into the tree.

In this case, meditating on the hurt and brokenness of Liberia will not lead me to peace. Yes, I need to be aware of the brokenness and be obedient to assist how I can, but Jesus told us that the poor will always be among us (Matthew 26:11). Until we reach heaven, we cannot solve all the world's problems. Only restoration can do that. 

So until then, I choose to look at the beauty. I choose to see the hard-working mothers, the strong children who walk miles without complaint, the love of community huddled under a thatched roof, and children that find incredible privilege in going to school each day. I praise the Lord for His common grace, the unique abilities that He has given His children, and the beautiful image-bearers that reflect His beautiful character. 

And when an opportunity to help comes along, I will step forward in faith and love. I will strive to continue with the mind of Christ who came to serve. And that starts with seeing the beauty.

Praise the Lord!

The Beautiful Roller Coaster of Life

 Every day in Liberia is filled with unexpected twists, turns, beauties, and surprises. It is a life full of joy as you learn to view life as a roller coaster with the Lord as your car. No matter how many twists and turns life throws you, your car is always constant security. Praise the Lord! 

Take the other day, for example. I came home from teaching at ABC University to find 3 guests sitting at the table. A very usual experience. 

They joined us for dinner, our usual 4 getting doubled to 8 when Milton's brother joined us as well. We sat around the table enjoying food and conversation. 

Then Milton started talking in Gio, his native language. He asked our guests if they knew Jesus. After engaging in more conversation, they agreed they needed to accept Jesus as their personal Savior. They had been attending church for some time, but they had never understood the need to take a step of faith in following him (don't mind my exploding inner celebration!).

We invited them over to the living room and Milton prayed with them. 

I found such beauty in such a simple, yet profound moment. Dinner and hospitality turned gospel opportunity. I left reflecting on the beauty of the Lord's hand in every situation. My love, who has connections and the ability to speak their native language. The faithful house helpers that help prepare every meal with love. The timing of the Lord to prompt a conversation.

Not every meal is blessed with a salvation story, but faithfulness bring fruit, so we continue to walk in faithfulness every day, not knowing what blessings are in store for the day. 

Praise the Lord <3

Liberia

 The Lord leads us guides us in many ways to many places. 

The years since my last blog posts have been filled with lots of activities, twists, and turns, but one thing has remained a part of my life...missions. 

Little did I know that the Lord had a beautiful plan in store involving a long plane ride, a beach front, and a wonderful godly man. 

Subscribe if you would like to continue on this adventure with us to receive periodic updates and how you can partner in a variety of ways with what the Lord is doing in Liberia. 

Psalm 96:3

"Declare His glory among the nations, His wonderful deeds among all peoples."

This is our heart. To God be the Glory!